Riverboat plan charts new course for longtime entrepreneurial couple

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Wayne Heller had stepped away from the massive cruise ships that took up much of his life when he had his first encounter with the comparatively demure Delta Queen.

After selling Cruises Only, a travel agency specializing in cruises that he had founded with his wife, Judy, the couple decided to take up photography as a hobby. They found the historic riverboat -- the host of three U.S. presidents that was put into service by the Navy during World War II -- an "incredible backdrop" on which to ply their new pursuit, Wayne Heller said.

"There is a sense of excitement," Wayne Heller said of the Delta Queen. "You are on a piece of living history, and you felt it."

Almost 12 years later, the couple are trying to bring the vessel to New Smyrna Beach as an 88-room floating hotel, restaurant and lounge. Wayne Heller said he is deep in talks to buy the riverboat from Xanterra Parks and Resorts. There's burgeoning support for the idea from the local community, but the innkeeper realizes there are several challenges that have to be overcome to bring the project to fruition.

He wants the city to lease him 5 acres it owns along the North Causeway where he would dock the Delta Queen. City officials, however, are readying a request for proposal for the property that would likely solicit all bidders for the land. They plan to discuss the property at 6:30 tonight during the commission's regular meeting.

"I'm confident I'm going to buy it; I'm confident it will have a home," he said. "But I can't speak for the city commissioners who in the end will have the final say where she resides."

He also must meet federal requirements, including satisfying the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that the 285-foot long boat built in 1927 won't stick out in the channel and pose a navigational hazard. Wayne Heller believes there is no regulatory hurdle that can't be overcome.

While the Hellers' proposal has garnered enthusiasm locally, it's also drawn the ire of steamboat enthusiasts across the country who are worried the Delta Queen will slowly erode in Florida's saltwater and continually be threatened by hurricanes.

The message board on the website, steamboats.org, has been flooded with thousands of concerned posts about the riverboat being moved from its current freshwater conditions in Chattanooga, Tenn., where it is now docked as a hotel.

"What we're really afraid of is this boat is going to come down here and be rendered useless," said Jim Herron, a Tampa resident who took his first trip on the Delta Queen in the late 1940s.

Heller said he while he understands the concerns, he knows what he is doing. He's dealt with larger vessels for most of his life.

'A TREMENDOUS PASSION'

Growing up, Wayne Heller, 55, got the chance to travel on steamships and cruise ships to destinations ranging from Europe to the Bahamas.

"I eventually just grew up with this tremendous love and passion for ships of all kinds," he said. "And I wanted to work on them."

He eventually got that opportunity when he was hired to work for Norwegian Cruise Line, where he held various positions. In 1980 he married Judy, who he had earlier met at Florida State University.

Heller parlayed his experience in the travel industry in 1984 when he and Judy founded Cruises Only.

The couple started the business in a 100-square-foot space and took four calls on the first day.

"And each one of those calls I had to make count," Wayne Heller said.

The Hellers would eventually make Cruises Only the largest seller of cruises in North America, and move from their cramped confines to a 37,000-square-foot, five-story office building in downtown Orlando filled with hundreds of employees.

The couple would take the company public in 1997 on the New York Stock Exchange, and the travel agency later became part of Travel Services International.

They would sell their remaining shares in 2000 in the company for what Wayne Heller said was "an offer we couldn't refuse." The deal was reported to be $30 million.

That's when the Hellers took a break from the cruise industry and discovered their love for the Delta Queen.

LOVE AT FIRST RIDE

Judy Heller said she didn't know what to expect from a trip along the Mississippi River on a riverboat after spending her life on cruise ships. She left loving the experience.

"It was just very personal," she said of the trip. "You got to talk to everybody ... You left the cruise knowing everybody's names."

Among their other business ventures, in 2003 the couple purchased Spring Garden Ranch, a Standardbred horse harness racing training facility in DeLeon Springs. Long having an affinity for New Smyrna Beach, they bought the Riverview Hotel on Flagler Avenue in December 2011. The historic Riverview property includes a 6,000-square-foot hotel with 18 rooms and a 5,000-square-foot spa and the Grille at Riverview restaurant. The couple's son, William Heller, serves as general manager of the hotel.

Wayne Heller said he understands the concerns about hurricanes hitting the Delta Queen and that's why he wants to tow the boat to New Smyrna Beach before hurricane season begins in June. However, he points out that the Riverview Hotel has been able to avoid "the one" since it was built in 1885.

"There is one advantage the Delta Queen has over the Riverview Hotel -- we can move it," he said, while sitting in the hotel's lobby last week.

While many lovers of the Delta Queen have expressed a desire to see her back in service taking passengers up and down the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, they say their second option would be to see her remain in Chattanooga where she is now docked.

Heller said he is prepared to dry dock the Delta Queen as needed and repaint her "anti-fouling" paints that can withstand salty conditions and marine organisms in Florida.

"To the fans of the Delta Queen, they should know that we only have the best intentions for her," Heller said. "We will preserve her, we will respect her and we will save her."

Dan Francati, who is president of Daytona Beach Kennel Club, served for several years as chief financial officer for the Delta Queen Steamboat Co.

He thinks bringing the riverboat to New Smyrna Beach would be a "home run."

"If we have a chance to grab a piece of history, we should," he said.

Assessing the challenges associated with bringing the Delta Queen to New Smyrna Beach, Heller is quick to compare it to his experience with the massive ships he once dealt with on a daily basis.

"This is very simple, like a piece of cake when compared to when you're dealing with a 600-passenger ocean liner," he said.

Editor's note: The type of horses trained at Spring Garden Ranch was incorrect in an earlier version of this story.